


Snake Charmer

by Swashbuckler



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Banter, Brotherly Bonding, Canon Era, Con Artists, Dinner, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Metahumans, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Snark, Teasing, Tricksters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19716094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swashbuckler/pseuds/Swashbuckler
Summary: Axel's creeped out by Copperhead. James knows a way to fix that.





	Snake Charmer

“Yo, uh, Jesse?” 

_One day, maybe, if I commit to training the kid, he’ll be able to pull off pretending to be nonchalant successfully. The kid’s not a good actor; a good prankster, I’ll give him that, but not a great trickster. Not yet, at least._

“What’s up?” James kept his face open and relaxed, all evidence of his thoughts carefully masked.

Axel opened his mouth then shut it again. Waved a hand, then stuffed both into the pockets of his baggy checked trousers. 

_It’s cute how starstruck the kid is around me._

“So...Copperhead.” 

_Okay. Maybe not so starstruck today._ James raised an eyebrow and did not pout. “What about her?” 

“We - the Rogues - kinda met her before? But she was doing her own thing, I think, and, uhm--” He glanced over his shoulder. “She’s- she’s a Meta, right?” he asked quickly.

“No, she’s just really dedicated to wearing party shop contacts.” James caught the tip of his tongue between his teeth as Axel’s soft teenage face scrunched in annoyance. He swivelled from side to side in his desk chair, grinning. “What you asking for?” 

“I-- I just wanted to know, like, what her deal was.” 

“Why don’t you ask her?” James’ question was perfectly perfected in its innocence. 

“No way! I can’t just-- I’m not gonna--”

“Why not? Aww,” James bit his lip, “are you afraid to talk to girls?” 

“I’m not afraid to talk to freaking girls!” Axel said hotly.

“Then what iiiiiis it?”

“She freaks me out, okay!”

 _There it is._ “Alright. What’s eating you, huh? Is it the split tongue? Her ability to imitate a soft pretzel?”

“It’s--” Axel wiggled his fingers in front of his eyes in little vertical movements “-- the slit pupil thing. It’s freaky, okay.” 

James snorted.

“Shut up, it is!”

“Mmm,” James nodded, swallowing a laugh, “yes. It is. Definitely. For sure. ...Hey, didn’t you used to hang out with Tar Pit?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“No reason.” _You’ve got weird limits, kid._

* * *

“I’ve got food!” 

Axel shoved the box of toys he’d been carrying onto the stack he’d created in the loading bay and threw himself out of the store room. He skidded into Jesse’s workshop, then stopped, gaping at the man. 

“The hell are you wearing?” 

“What?” James pulled off his jacket. “I can’t go outside in costume yet. You can’t rush a debut.” 

“I get that, but--” Axel’s eyes roved over the bomber jacket, the flannel shirt, the shapeless jeans, the tartan scarf, the _beanie_ “--you look like you fell out of a gross Christmas movie, yo.”

“Surprised you know what a Hallmark movie is, MTV.” James tugged off his beanie, scrubbing his flat hat hair into something more agreeable. He dumped his coat and scarf down with it, before pushing a crate across the floor with his boot, which were - unlike those he paired with his costume - spurless and sturdy, positioning it next to a clear workbench he’d set a plastic bag on. He moved to another crate, sliding it across the floor with his foot. James wiggled his finger at the bag of takeout on the bench. “You don’t have to wait, you can start.” 

Axel didn’t hesitate; he unpacked the bag at record speed, dropping onto one of the crates with the bag of spring rolls in one hand, a half eaten one in the other. “Ah man, these are goo’.” 

“If you think that’s good,” James said from behind him, his hand dropping into the bag in Axel’s hand and pinching a spring roll. “You remember what we were talking about earlier?” 

Axel cracked open a can of soda with his free hand. “The bomb plans?” 

“Nah, the other thing.” 

Axel cocked his head to the side, frowning as James sat on a crate across from him. James grinned. “Hey, Copperhead!” he shouted. 

Axel blanched. “What are you doing?” 

“Copperhead, get in here!” 

“C’mon, man, what the hell!” Axel hissed. 

“Trickster?” Axel swallowed at the heavy emphasis on the ‘s’ in his and James’ alias.

“Hey, Copperhead,” James chirped. 

Copperhead’s forked tongue flicked out. “You got Chinese?” 

“Yeah, that’s why I called you, didn’t want you missing out,” he said with a gracious smile as she folded herself onto a crate so her feet were resting atop her thighs. “Especially as I got you that Kung Pao chicken you like.”

Axel clapped his hand over his mouth as he choked. Bubbles from his soda were burning up his nose and behind his eyes as he spluttered and wheezed as in an instant the knife-like slits of Copperhead’s pupils had blown wide, eclipsing the sharp green of her irises.

“Thanks,” she said in wide-eyed earnest, grabbing the container James had passed to her, tucking in with gusto as Axel struggled to compose himself. She glanced at him with eyes like saucers. “You alright?” 

Axel made a pained noise, his hand still smothering his giggles. He managed a nod as he fought the urge to snort.

Copperhead stopped mid-chew. “What’s up with him?” she asked James, prodding her chopsticks in Axel’s direction. James looked at Axel, and gave him a tiny wink.

“ _Eye_ have no _eye_ -dea.

**Author's Note:**

> Axel and James jabbing at each other like an older-younger brother duo is apparently my new favourite thing. 
> 
> @DC give me more of these three PLEASE.
> 
> * * *
> 
> This fic was 100% inspired by that tweet that said:
> 
> _'lit brain: giving this character slitted pupils makes them look inhuman and intimidating_
> 
> _galaxy brain: giving this character slitted pupils means when they're excited or happy they look like a big dumbass'_
> 
> and I'm not sorry.
> 
> (Link to screenshot of the tweet as I unfortunately can't get the link to the actual tweet:  
> https://66.media.tumblr.com/089438beee5858228629d89914499003/tumblr_ps9zkwG2Ks1vvkdgi_400.jpg)


End file.
